I Hate Hill Sprints

Why am I so slow and out of shape? If I’m so slow and out of shape, I shouldn’t even run Marine Corps. If I’m not going to do better at Marine Corps, then I simply should not run it. I had no idea I was as out of shape as this. Am I really this fat? Because it feels like I’m hauling 400 lbs up this hill! It feels like I’m a contestant on Biggest Loser who is on one of those first day workouts where they fall over and pass out.

…. These were all my fun thoughts while I sprinted up a hill over and over yesterday. A mile warmup (how long it took us to get from our cars to the bridge), then sprint up the overpass and run back down at regular pace, then back up another 3x for a total of 4 “hill” sprints. Then we ran the mile back to our cars. My watch said 4 miles total but I felt like lead from the 3rd sprint and on until I reached my car. I didn’t think it was going to be so hard for me, but that was apparently blissful ignorance. I second guessed myself the entire time. I thought everyone else was feeling better than I was. Never mind that on everyone’s face was a look of pain and run-hate. So I guess a lot of us were struggling.

me during and after the hill workout (mentally)

I will say that there was a great group turnout for run team yesterday and I was flat out shocked. Normally, well, this being south Florida, there are a lot of much older runners in the run group. Not that that means they aren’t good runners! They are! They’re awesome! They eat marathons for breakfast! They rattle off all the races they’re doing this year and it always includes at least 2 marathons and 5 half marathons. Who says Florida seniors aren’t active?! But this time there were a lot more younger runners and it was nice to see for a change. I guess I like to think that with runners my age, or younger, they will be around my same pace, or faster, so I can work to chase them down on workouts and be even more motivated! There were also some people just starting out running for the first time and that was awesome too! It’s so nerve racking to start doing something new, AND with a group of strangers, AND when you are intimidated by how good everyone else seems to be. That was me last year, so I was kinda all up on these people like “WELCOME!!! SO GLAD YOU CAME!!! YAY! WE’RE GOING TO HAVE SO MUCH FUN!!!” (they were probably like, freak, please step away from me).

Back to those hills… Coach says they only do them 2x a month and I hope I’m mentally recovered by the next time. It sucked!! I did not do well. But, after I got through all of my negative inner monologue, I rallied and said, ok, this is why I’m out here. If I want to be faster, this is what it takes. It takes these awful sprints! It takes hill workouts because there are hills in DC at the start of MCM. And then, my favorite, – I can only get better from here! I just have to stick with it!

At least the weather was great. It was threatening rain and lightning but never did. That is the only good day you’ll get in south Florida, where you are on the outskirts of a bad thunderstorm, or one just passed, or you’re about to get one. It’s like living on the edge (for me). Everyone else was glued to their weather apps on their phones and their lightning apps and deemed it ok because the storm was 6 miles south and headed out to sea right then. Whew! Because I don’t do lightning. This is going to suck enough already without being struck by lightning on the highest point of south Florida during a thunderstorm.

I can’t believe marathon training has officially started. I know most people have a July start date technically but everyone is still getting out there now so it feels like it’s started officially. It’s just weird to be doing this all again. On the way to team, I drove the 10 mile out-and-back route that I used for 20 miler training runs last year. It took forever to drive! I started to freak out about having to run that again. But it’s exciting too I guess. 🙂

I love half marathons! I’m going back to just doing halfs once I finish this season. They’re the best! But thanks, I’ll try to remember that with each painful hill workout I run. I feel so weak right now that all I can think of is crashing and burning at Marine Corps.